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Ferrari working on F-duct system

Ferrari wants to copy McLaren's F-duct system © Sutton Images

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Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali said his team are working 'flat out' to introduce an F-duct system to its car having witnessed the advantage it handed McLaren in Malaysia.

The system works by the driver blocking and airflow vent to the rear wing by his knee in the cockpit, stalling the wing and giving as much as a 6mph advantage on the straights. It seemed to do the trick for McLaren at the Sepang circuit with Lewis Hamilton fastest through the speed trap at 303km/h, 6km/h quicker than his nearest rival during Friday practice. Sauber was another team to trial the device in Malaysia.

"On the system of McLaren, for sure we are working flat out at home, because we saw the benefit that seems to be very, very big above all in the main straight with certain conditions, I would say stalling of the rear wing," said Domenicali. "But we will bring as soon as everything will be reliable, and we will be 100% sure that the system will work."

Despite the advantage the system gives McLaren on the straights, Domenicali also admitted that he thinks Red Bull is the fastest all-round car at the moment.

"I think it is difficult to say for sure. Who has the fastest car after three grands prix? If I had to look from the number point of view, we are leading the championship so we should be fastest," said Domenicali. "But we know that it is a very optimistic approach and this is not the way that we think.

"We think that, looking at the results of the first three grands prix, Red Bull did three pole positions and they had reliability issues on other occasions. So the Red Bull seems to be the most competitive car. But I don't want to forget that also McLaren seems very good, that is the ranking I see if I had to freeze the situation today."

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